How Maine is shaping the next generation of sustainable Aquaculture.

BY ANDREW BRADLEY, PE |. COURTESY OF SMRT ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS

As the global demand for sustainable, high-protein food sources accelerates, the conversation around how we harvest our oceans is undergoing a massive transformation. For generations, Maine has looked to the Gulf of Maine as a boundless provider of seafood. Today, a new frontier is emerging along our coastlines and inland communities, one that marries marine biology with advanced engineering. Land-based and high-performance aquaculture is a critical pillar of modern food security, economic resilience, and environmental stewardship.

For a state with a proud maritime heritage, Maine is uniquely positioned to lead this movement. But realizing the true potential demands a sophisticated, cross-disciplinary approach to how we design the physical infrastructure that houses these delicate ecosystems.

Understanding the Promise of Aquaculture

At its core, aquaculture is the farming of fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants in controlled environments. While traditional open-water pen farming remains vital, land-based aquaculture, particularly facilities utilizing Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) with sophisticated monitoring of systems and livestock, has changed the game. These systems filter and recycle up to 99% of the water used, dramatically reducing environmental impact, preventing the transfer of disease to or from wild populations, and bringing production closer to population centers.  

However, taking aquatic life out of the ocean and placing it inside an engineered building is an extraordinarily complex undertaking. The margin for error building a successful venture is razor-thin. Unlike a standard manufacturing plant or warehouse, an aquaculture facility must function as a living, breathing ecosystem where the biology of the fish dictates every architectural and engineering decision.

The Architectural and Engineering Challenge

Designing a high-performance aquaculture facility requires an intricate alignment of science and structure. Success depends on several critical layers:

  1. The Bioplan as the North Star: Everything starts with the fish. A successful facility relies on a rigorous bioplan that dictates species selection, production goals, tank sizing, and waste collection. Every square foot of process space and every kilowatt of power must answer the specific biological needs of the livestock as they move from hatchery to harvest.
  2. Battling the Indoor Elements: Indoor aquaculture creates a brutal internal climate. High humidity meeting cold temperatures above open-top tanks creates the risk of indoor “rain” and hidden condensation that can compromise building envelopes from the inside out. Designing these structures requires advanced hygrothermal modeling to ensure the building withstands the marine environment it houses.
  3. Navigating Underground Infrastructure: Beneath a quiet exterior lies a dense maze of piping, water treatment systems, and mechanical supports. Furthermore, fish are extraordinarily sensitive to vibration and noise, meaning site selection and structural isolation are paramount to protecting growth rates and bottom lines.
  4. Engineering for ROI: Because products like salmon are staples, design choices must respect the bottom line. Innovations like capturing heat from wastewater streams to condition building spaces turn sustainability into profitability.
  5. Sustaining the Ecosystem and Supply Chain: Beyond structural and water-filtration engineering, land-based systems unlock massive environmental benefits. They require significantly less feed than traditional open-pen operations and eliminate the need to broadcast medicines into the ocean that can harm non-target species. Siting these facilities close to major population centers results in drastically reduced shipping footprints and a much fresher product for consumers. Looking ahead, the industry is also investigating feeds that shifted away from ocean-based products toward insect-based alternatives, further shrinking environmental demands while tapping into sustainable alternative proteins.

Maine at the Center of the Aquaculture Revolution

Maine is rapidly becoming a national epicenter for this evolution, proving that environmental sustainability and economic development can go hand in hand. Across the state, here are some of the visionary projects we are a part of that are bringing this complex engineering to life:

  • Great Northern Salmon in Millinocket: Demonstrating the power of adaptive reuse, this project repurposes a former paper mill’s infrastructure, cleverly tapping into existing water rights, power systems, and a skilled local labor pool. It serves as a masterclass in navigating underground infrastructure while breathing new industrial life into a historic Maine community.
  • The University of Maine’s SAWIC Facility: Alongside commercial production, the workforce and research engine driving this sector is receiving a generational upgrade through the University of Maine’s Sustainable Aquaculture Workforce Innovation Center (SAWIC), which is on track to open this year. Designed to advance aquaculture talent, training, and applied research, SAWIC provides students, faculty, and industry partners with hands-on experience using systems that mirror high-production commercial facilities.

As the designers behind cutting-edge aquaculture environments, projects like SAWIC and Great Northern Salmon require a unified strategy where biologists, process engineers, and architects sit at the same table from day one.

Building a Resilient Future

The protein race is well underway, and the choices we make today will define our food security for decades to come. By combining Maine’s unmatched marine expertise with world-class engineering, resilient facility design, and visionary academic training, our state is charting the course in the aquaculture revolution.

When biology and intelligent design intersect, we create enduring assets that protect our environment, energize our local economies, and feed a hungry world.

Andrew Bradley PE, Senior Principal, Senior Structural Engineer at SMRT

Andrew Bradley, PE, is a Senior Principal and Senior Structural Engineer at SMRT Architects & Engineers, where he has spent more than 30 years leading complex, multidisciplinary projects. He has been part of the design team behind several of Maine’s most significant land-based aquaculture facilities, including the University of Maine’s Sustainable Aquaculture Workforce Innovation Center and Great Northern Salmon in Millinocket.

SMRT Architects & Engineers

SMRT Architects & Engineers is a Portland, Maine-based integrated architecture and engineering firm founded in 1884. With experience across land-based aquaculture, higher education, advanced manufacturing, and health and wellness, SMRT brings a unified design and engineering approach to complex, performance-driven facilities. Learn more at smrtinc.com.